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Thor Eisentrager, Metropolitan State University

I wrote this article for an assignment in my First College Capstone class. Imam Sharif Mohamed is my classmate. The assignment was to do something out of one’s ‘comfort zone’ and notice how it felt and what it made one think about.

I was very curious to make a connection with Imam Sharif and his community in Minneapolis.  I live in south Minneapolis and am aware of the burgeoning Somali community – the retail area on Lake Street and a mosque on 13th Avenue that I drive by each day, but I have not really connected with anyone in these communities

So, I contacted him and was immediately invited to his mosque, which also functions as a community center for the Somali community around the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood.  We arranged to meet on Friday night about 6:30 at 504 Cedar Avenue South.

I know the area pretty well and recognized the address as a former performance arts building used by the local dance community and Bedlam Theater. This is the West Bank area, a diverse mix of restaurants, famous bars like the 400 and Palmers, retailers like Freewheel Bikes, Midwest Mountaineering, adjacent to the colorful yet imposing modern high-rises which are home to a big part of the Somali community in Minneapolis.

Before we met I looked at the website for Imam Sharif’s organization, the Islamic Civic Society of America and the Dar Al-Hijrah Mosque on Cedar Avenue. It was clear that the center is committed to faith, education, families, and outreach beyond the Somali community. It included information about prayer times for mobile phone users and the geographic orientation to Mecca.

I was curious what the atmosphere would be like, but also felt pretty open to the experience. I love sincere ceremony and have been in sweat lodges, pipe ceremonies, Buddhist retreats and other gatherings based on spiritual practices. This seemed like another way to learn about the Muslim path of devotion.

So I found my way to the West Bank and noticed, “Oh, I’m going to meet Imam Sharif and go inside the mosque with him” rather than driving by the neighborhood and wondering about the lives of the many immigrants in the area. I parked several blocks away and noticed the busy grocery store behind the high-rises and people coming and going from their apartments – families, single men, teenagers. I noticed several middle aged and older Somali men walking in the same direction as me and figured this was a destination in the community on Friday night

I found the entrance on the backside of the building facing the high-rises. Somali men of all ages were arriving and I could see through the large glass windows others inside already in prayer, facing one direction together.  I waited in the vestibule where the men took off their shoes and went into the mosque. Some looked at me curiously as I was the only white man present. Everyone was respectful. I was a little early so I waited quietly.

Then a young man with a big smile engaged me in a warm voice, “Would you like to pray?” I said, “Yes, I’m waiting for Imam Sharif Mohamed”.  He said, “Come I will show you!” We stepped into an adjacent area like a gym shower room that had tiled seats so one could wash your feet and hands as you sat. We removed our shoes and then he demonstrated a ritual for cleaning the hands, arms, face, ears, hair and feet. He was very gracious and seemed pleased that I was willing to share this experience. He then took me in the prayer room and showed me how to stand with feet almost touching, next to another man with our arms gently crossed, standing in meditation. I felt glad to be so welcomed by a complete stranger.

Then Imam Sharif arrived dressed in his formal garb including a white beaded headpiece. He had seen me standing there in the group and greeted me with his big smile, then helped me gather my things and took me upstairs through the community center to his study.

The building has been completely remodeled inside to make rooms for youth meetings and education, community outreach and a small health awareness center. It is a wonderful adaptation of the old West Bank architecture for a new community of immigrants from Somalia. Teenagers greeted Imam Sharif as we walked through – it felt like a happy place, full of life and energy. I thought about how the West Bank had been home to the cultural centers of the Swedish and Finnish immigrants a hundred years ago and marveled at the regenerative quality of American culture, absorbing and adapting to wave after wave of new citizens from so many parts of the world.

Imam Sharif’s study is filled with books, a desk and   large conference table. I told him I was impressed by the activities in the community center and was curious about the mission of the Civic Society. We had a long conversation about his vision for the Somali community in America and his role as a leader in a diverse community with many voices and factions.

I confessed that I did not know much about the local Somali communities even though we had lived side by side for many years. And I admitted that I did not know much more than is shared on the news, which usually only reports on the problems. So this was my chance to go beyond my comfort zone, to listen, to learn, to observe from within the heart of Dar Al-Hijrah community.

We talked for more than an hour on Islam around the world, Shia and Sunni practices, the Middle East and Africa, fundamentalism versus the true teachings of Islam, Christian and Jewish fundamentalism, media and public perceptions of Islamic society and the Somali community. Imam Sharif shared with me the Operating Principals of the Islamic Society of America whose primary mission “demonstrates the compatibility between Islamic and Civic principals in a democratic society.” I came to see and felt that Imam Sharif’s vision of integrating the Somali community with mainstream society in America is very consistent with the highest ideals of our democratic values. He is an advocate for going outside the Somali community and engaging, while preserving the cultural identity of the Somali community. His organization has a special voice that recognizes the Somali community must become integrated, rather than isolated to build long term sustainability in business and other cultural opportunities.

This is a resonant theme within my family’s history generations ago and many others of European descent. The immigrant generation taught the first generation to learn English, get an education and all the skills necessary to succeed in the mainstream of the day.

Even more interesting to me was Imam Sharif’s discussion of Islam and democracy, a theme that is very close to his heart and his mission. From his study of the Koran and Islamic principles, Imam Sharif is working on educational materials that support a commitment to democracy and citizenship, diversity, equality, and unity.

I would never have imagined such a deep commitment to these ideals that we tend to hold as somehow uniquely American. That is, of course, a reflection of my own ignorance and privilege, having remained unengaged from my Somali neighbors.  Our conversation enlightened me and opened up my perspective on the possibilities within our communities, within our country. This was a special conversation with a wise man and community leader who is also my classmate. It is interesting to reflect on the many roles we play and how we have met in the capstone class.

After about an hour we heard the call to prayer from downstairs. Again Imam Sharif asked if I wished to observe the prayer and I, of course, said I would enjoy sharing prayer with his community. We made our way downstairs again and he showed me where the women gather in an adjacent room to follow the prayer.

He introduced me to several men in the gathering who all greeted me with a handshake and touched their hearts. I stood in line with the men facing the little arched vestibule (mimbar) where Imam Sharif led the prayers. There were a series of prayers to God (Allah) with bows and prostrations that involve putting the forehead on the ground. It reminded me of doing bowing practice in the Zen center where I lived one summer- there is something holistic about bowing in prayer. Imam Sharif said later we are bowing before Allah, God, showing our devotion and I felt that in the room with the men, aligned in the direction of Mecca.

Here I was standing with dark skinned strangers, most of who were immigrants, refugees from a war torn country in Africa, strangers in a strange land- America. Men my age, and some elders who had to make a new life in America participated.  One man behind us appeared crippled and made his bows sideways on his shoulders because he could not sit up straight, his crutches lying alongside him. But he touched the ground in an act of devotion and humility. All bowed in humility and unity.

Somehow it was not strange at all, but oddly familiar. The acts of devotion are similar and the readings of devotion are always from the heart. We are related as human beings and these are the true teachings of all the religions – God’s love for us and our love of God and the creation and to love one another. Why is it so hard for us to live in peace?

When we were done, we returned to the study. The teenagers were hanging out after their classes in the hallway like any another group of teenagers at a church gathering- boys and girls talking and smiling as young people do when they gather.

Imam Sharif and I visited a little longer before his board meeting that night. I invited him to the museum where I work and exchanged business cards. It was already 8:30 p.m. and Imam Sharif still had more duties to fulfill on Friday night. He escorted me to the door, down a wonderful steep stairway that led to a courtyard adjacent to Palmer’s Bar patio. Quite an amazing West Bank juxtaposition I thought! Palmer’s has an infamous reputation as a hard-drinking hangout, now here it is wall to wall with Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Civic Center! “Now ain’t that America?” As the pop song says!

So I was invited into the heart of Imam Sharif’s community and discovered a living vision for democracy, diversity and multi-cultural integration. Although I was out of my comfort zone I was not really uncomfortable because the graciousness of Imam Sharif is practiced by the members of his community. I feel a sense of joy and possibility from this experience. I have more to consider about how privilege limits my engagement in ways I was not even aware. I am touched by the devotion and generosity shown to me. I am stimulated to learn more about the mission of the Civic Society and share its message with my communities. I am thankful for the time that Imam Sharif shared with me in his exceptionally busy life as Imam, student and father. Peace.

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